Radley Prescott Balko (born April 19, 1975)[2] is an American journalist, author, blogger, and speaker who writes about criminal justice, the drug war, and civil liberties. In 2022, he began publishing his work on Substack after being let go from The Washington Post, where he had worked as an opinion columnist for nine years.[3] Balko has written several books, including The Rise of the Warrior Cop and The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist.
Balko has advocated the abolition of laws criminalizing drunk driving, arguing that the "punishable act should be violating road rules or causing an accident, not the factors that led to those offenses. Singling out alcohol impairment for extra punishment isn't about making the roads safer".[10]
He has expressed his position against the judicial policy of civil asset forfeiture, arguing that it is a "practice contrary to a basic sense of justice and fairness".[11]
Books
Balko has authored two books on the topic of increasing militarization in police forces, and a third on institutional racism and junk forensic science in the criminal justice system.
In 2009, Balko's investigative report on expert witness fraud in a Louisiana death penalty case won the Western Publication Association's Maggie Award for reporting.[5]
In 2011, The Week named Balko a finalist for Opinion Columnist of the Year.[5] Also in 2011, the Los Angeles Press Club named Balko Best of Show Journalist of the Year, the judges saying:
Radley Balko is one of those throw-back journalists that understands the power of groundbreaking reporting and how to make a significant impact through his work. Time and time again, his stories cause readers to stop, think, and most significantly, take action.[14][15]
^"53rd Journalism Awards Gala, June 26". Los Angeles Press Club. 2011. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Reason Magazine's Radley Balko, who was Print Journalist of the Year (circulation under 50,000) was named Best of Show Journalist of the Year and received $1,000.
